Seedfolks

February 3, 2003
Fleischman's talent for writing stories from various points of view makes his works particularly appealing in audiobook form. Here, 13 different characters come alive via the distinct performances of a widely varied cast. When Kim, a young Vietnamese girl, plants some lima beans in a run-down vacant lot near her Cleveland, Ohio, apartment building, she has no idea that her actions will be a catalyst for reinvigorating the community. An elderly Romanian woman, a widower from Kentucky, an African-American boy and a Hispanic man are just a sampling of the other nearby residents who gradually emerge to follow Kim's unintentional lead and begin to help grow a new garden—and newly fulfilled lives—in the lot. Though not all the readings are of equal caliber (the portrayals of Ana and Wendell are particularly strong; a couple of the child performers lack polish), the range of voices and styles suggests a true community—certainly the author's intention. Ages 10-up.

Starred review from June 2, 1997
Arraying different voices like threads on a loom, Fleischman (Bull Run) weaves a seamless tale of the advent of a garden in urban Cleveland and how it unites a community. Here Fleischman slips with equal ease into the voices of a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl grieving for the father she never knew; a retired peace activist; a shopkeeper from Delhi; a dedicated British nurse; a 39-year-old Korean widow and crime victim hesitantly rejoining the world; a pregnant Mexican teenager; and seven other equally diverse characters. Fleischman carefully adds texture upon texture, crafting his story with wry humor and lustrous imagery: dead leaves reappear as the winter snows melt away "like a bookmark showing where you'd left off"; beans inadvertently uprooted are laid back in the ground "as gently as sleeping babies." The story's quiet beauty unfurls effortlessly--and lingers after the final page has been turned. Ages 10-up.

Starred review from May 1, 1997
Gr 4 Up-A vacant lot in Cleveland, OH, is transformed into a garden when residents of the community plant seeds to fulfill personal needs. From the Korean girl who plants lima beans in memory of the father she never knew, to the elderly Guatemalan uncle who can't speak English, to the Haitian cab driver who plants baby lettuce to sell to fancy restaurants, the 13 voices telling their stories are like a packet of variegated seeds that when sown produce a beautiful, multicolored harvest. The device is similar to that of Fleischman's Bull Run (HarperCollins, 1993); one character's words sum up the cumulative effect: "Gardening...has suspense, tragedy, startling developments-a soap opera growing out of the ground." Indeed it does. The vacant lot could be in any city as the message of diversity, people, and sensibility is universal, and beautifully cultivated by an author who has a green thumb with words.-Julie Cummins, New York Public Library

September 1, 1998
Gr 4 Up-As a vacant lot is transformed into a community garden, these vignettes give glimpses into the lives of the fledgling gardeners. As satisfying as harvesting produce straight from the vine. (May, 1996)

December 1, 1997
Gr 4 Up-As a vacant lot is transformed into a community garden, these vignettes give glimpses into the lives of the fledgling gardeners. As satisfying as harvesting produce straight from the vine. (May)

Starred review from May 15, 1997
Gr. 4^-8. Kim, a Vietnamese girl mourning her dead father, is the one who begins the garden. In a vacant lot near her Cleveland home, she scratches six holes in the dirt and plants six seeds, hoping to attract her father's spirit. She definitely catches the eye of Ana, an elderly white woman who has watched the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood change. Ana assumes Kim is burying treasure, but when she realizes her mistake, she makes it her mission to ensure that the girl's plants are watered. The perspective changes with each chapter--Kim narrates first, then Ana, then Wendell, who is sent by Ana to water "the Chinese girl's" plants and decides to do some planting of his own. Others follow: Gonzalo's grandfather sees the garden as an opportunity to be productive without being humiliated because of his inability to learn English; black body builder Curtis uses his tomatoes to help him rebuild his romance with Lateesha. Neighbor by neighbor, the garden grows, with the once-vacant lot eventually becoming a varied and vibrant community of its own. Each voice is distinct. Each character springs to life, complete with attitudes, prejudices, and opinions, and as the viewpoints shift, Fleischman shows how the different members of a multi-ethnic urban neighborhood overcome the barriers of language and background to enrich one another and forge new connections. The characters' vitality and the sharply delineated details of the neighborhood make this not merely an exercise in craftsmanship or morality but an engaging, entertaining novel as well. ((Reviewed May 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)